Golden Assassin
by LightningBolt13
Summary: The homunculi kill Alphonse, leaving Edward alone to suffer. After months of loneliness and grief, Edward resigns from the military and becomes his own hitman/assassin. After a conflict between Hawkeye and Edward, he has the urge to kill her. It's not nice to shoot a friend. Why not return the favor, having some fun as well? [Set in the FMA 2003 universe, and some Royai. I guess.]
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Welcome to the prologue. I don't know how long this fic will be, but this chapter in particular will be very short. Don't worry, chapter 1 will be longer. This is when episode 22 [FMA 2003] ends differently.

* * *

 _The homunculus, Lust, held up her needle-like fingers to the blood on the armor. The room was eerily silent as the blond teen kneeled in front of the transmutation circle with the prisoners cowering in the center. The young alchemist boy slowly reached down to activate the circle. The prisoners backed away as the boy's hands got closer to the ground. He paused, and drew his hands away._

" _I'm sorry, Al.. But I just can't do it…" his voice cracked._

 _The homunculus threatening Alphonse scowled in disappointment. She extended her spears through the blood seal. The armored child emitted soft choking noises, causing his older brother to turn around, to see the thing he feared the most. Her cold magenta eyes bored into Edward's golden ones, they were struck with terror. Lust moved her pointer and middle finger that were impaled through the armor in opposite directions, destroying the seal and Alphonse's soul to the armor. The other homunculus, Envy, stared at Lust's actions, surprised by her impulsive actions. He stared at the two, who were looking at each other._

 _That was it. He was gone._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Guilt

* * *

Edward sat on the hospital bed, his head turned away from the door. He looked through the window, not seeing anything in particular. His whole body was sore from coming in contact with the red water. His head and left shoulder throbbed from their wounds. His bangs covered his face, partially covering the blank emotion left on his face. He was breathing softly, trying to fight sleep, if he succumbed to his exhaustion, he would have nightmares. He slowly nodded off, but snapped back to reality when he heard a knock on the door. Edward slowly turned to the door, watching a familiar 2nd Lieutenant Ross enter the room, gesturing a salute.

"Major Elric? Ms. Winry Rockbell is here, like you requested."

Edward groaned in an attempt to speak. He saw Winry look into the room from behind the Lieutenant. She was really worried, observing Edward's expression. Ross moved aside from the doorway, letting Winry enter. She carried a big duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Hey, Ed… What's wrong," she asked, looking around the room. "How come you didn't call me yourself…? And where's Al?"

Lieutenant Ross closed the door after Winry got in, letting herself out. Her face was covered in guilt; she kept her blue eyes to the ground as she left the room. Winry looked at Edward, waiting for a response. She looked into his eyes, but he did not look back. "Ed…? What happened? Where is Alphonse?" Edward's face tightened, he raised his hand up to his face, his breathing stuttered.

"Winry… He's gone. He's gone, I couldn't protect him." Tears streamed down his face, bleeding onto the pillow under his head. _Couldn't protect him_? Winry's blue eyes widened realizing what he meant. "Wha… What do you mean? What happened to him?!"

Edward clutched his hair, his whole body trembling. "They got him. They killed him." Winry dropped her bag on the floor, causing a loud crash. She ignored it, and knelt down to Edward's bed. "Edward, who got him?! Please! Tell me what happened!" She grabbed Edward's hand and pulled it to her. She waited for Edward to look at her, but he looked away. She squeezed his hand. He turned to her, his eyes were red and he was still crying. Looking into Winry's eyes just made him hurt even more. He had to tell her what happened. He had to tell her what happened. This isn't something that he could hide.

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

Winry was kneeling on the ground, still holding Edward's hand. Both of their faces had tearstains streaked across their cheeks. Edward was still lying down, resting on his automail side. He told her everything. The true nature of the Philosopher's Stone. The homunculi. The Fifth Laboratory and the red water. Alphonse's demise. Thinking about Alphonse made him want to scream. It was his fault. This would have never happened if he didn't force him into the transmutation. This wouldn't have happened if they didn't stick their noses in the wrong places. He forced Alphonse into all of these situations. It was his fault. It was his fault.

"It was my fault."

Winry looked up at him, surprised by the outburst. Edward was looking up at the ceiling. The corners of his lips twitched. Winry's face turned from sorrow to anger. She stood up raising her fist and brought it back down, smashing it into Edward's shoulder. He yelped from the combined pain. He tried to get back up, but neither of his arms could support him. He fell back onto the pillow, snapping back at Winry.

"God damn it, Winry! That's my bad arm!" he hissed, not realizing that both of his arms could be considered his "bad" arm. He looked up at Winry. "You idiot! This isn't your fault. Alphonse wouldn't have even come with you if he didn't want to bring his mom back. Stop trying to put the blame on yourself!"

"But… I insisted… We went to the Fifth Lab and now he's gone…! He... He…!"

Winry interrupted him. "Edward stop. Stop doing this to yourself. It's not helping you. It's not helping me. It's not helping Alphonse." Winry got back onto her knees, looking at the young blond boy. His eyes were swirling with emotions. Regret, frustration, sorrow, sadness. Her face relaxed, her eyes full of pity. "Now, let me fix your automail."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! I want to let you guys know at first that this story will be progressing very slowly! Things may be heating up at about chapter 3 or 4. I dunno! I'll continue working on "Possession" but I'll probably update it after I do chapter 2 for this. Later!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Regret

 **A/N:** A little Edwin. Doesn't last for too long.

* * *

"So Ed, how did your automail break?" Winry asked, observing Edward's arm.

"I was in a rough fight, then it stopped working. I could only move the fingers then." He tensed, expecting Winry to lash back at the sound of him saying "rough fight", but relaxed when no response came from her. "Maybe if I hadn't broken my automail… Al would…" He stopped himself. "No Edward, it wasn't your fault. I missed an important screw in the automail, that's probably why it stopped working. So it was my fault this time." Edward didn't respond. Now he knew how bad Winry felt when he was blaming himself. It hurt him to hear her say that, but he couldn't help but believe that it was his fault that Alphonse died.

The rest of the repair was silent, other than the moment Edward was groaning in pain from reconnecting his nerves. Winry packed up her tools, Edward watching her contently. She turned back at him, looking at him with concerned eyes. "Edward…?"

Edward let out a soft "mmmm?", his eyes flashing briefly. "Ed, are you… Are you going to continue trying to recover your body?" Edward's face tightened with terror, but then recoiled. He broke his eye contact with the blond girl. "No, Winry. I don't think I will. I won't be satisfied regaining my body, knowing that Alphonse never will. Plus, it's not worth making the journey alone."

"So, will you come home?"

He paused.

"I don't know. Not now."

Winry sighed and grabbed Edward's left hand. She brought it up to her mouth and kissed his hand. He blushed as he felt her lips on his knuckles. His face was flushed red by the time she moved his hand away from her face. "I'll see you soon, Edward. Okay?" She turned around, making her way to the door. Edward didn't want to let go, but his hand slipped out of hers. She disappeared through the doors, not looking back. Lieutenant Ross reentered the room, after Winry, saluting to Edward.

"Major Elric, is everything okay? Is there anything I can get for you? Food?"

Edward's face returned to his previous blank expression. "Yeah, sure, I guess." He turned over again, to look through the window. Ross sighed, and left again. She went down to the cafeteria, going to fetch food for the young Elric. Her partner was nowhere in sight, he was probably escorting Edward's guest. She was sad for the boy. She could understand how he was feeling. She saw the pain he was in when she had arrived in the lab. She could still feel his pain. There was nothing she could do to help, and she felt awful for it. At least she calmed down Edward; she wouldn't be able to bear the loss of two children in one night.

Edward lay on his hospital bed, staring at his automail. He flexed and released his hand, listening to the metal scrapes his fingers made against each other. _Winry…_ He thought. _Thank you, Winry. This may be the last time I see you, so this will be my memory of you._

* * *

Lieutenant Hawkeye entered her superior officer's office, folders in hand.

"Good morning, Colonel." She said, closing the door behind her.

Her superior looked up from his pile of paperwork, his dark eyes looking into her orange-brown ones. He smirked at her.

"Good morning to you too, Lieutenant. How have you been?"

"I've been doing fine. But, haven't you heard? The fifth laboratory collapsed last night, with the Elric brothers inside."

"What happened to them?"

"Edward was rescued, but… We couldn't find Alphonse's body."

The Colonel was surprised and leaned forward. Lieutenant Hawkeye had a sullen gaze. "I feel like we should ask Edward some questions, but… Now that Alphonse is gone, do you think Edward will continue his journey without his brother?" Colonel Mustang's face relaxed, and he shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his seat. "I can't answer that question. It's Edward's decision, but he knows where his priorities are."

Riza sighed, handing Colonel Mustang the manila folder. "These are the reports to the incident. Feel free to look through them when you have the chance." She made her way behind the Colonel, like she usually does. "Shouldn't we try to ask Edward what happened?"

"I'm sure that Hughes and Armstrong are already on that case."

* * *

Edward sat up on his bed, his head leaning against the wall. He looked down at his hands, which were overlapped, his right on top of his left.

"Edward, can you describe what these homunculi looked like?" Lieutenant Colonel Hughes asked. His green eyes stared at Edward, he could feel them burning on his neck. Edward tensed up, thinking about the homunculi. The ones who killed his brother. "The first one was a woman. She had long, dark, curly hair… she had purple eyes, they looked like snake eyes… She had a… full… chest," Edward demonstrated, gesturing his hands around his chest. "She had red lips and she wore a black dress that went down to her ankles. She had on high heels too." Ed continued, finishing his description of Lust, continuing onto Envy and then Gluttony. He told them about seeing Shao Tucker there as well, reincarnated as a chimera. The interview went on for a bit longer, Edward was more drained than before, he didn't want to talk about the fifth lab anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore.

Once he recovered, he would resign from the military. There's no point staying anymore.

* * *

 **A/N:** Back to working on "Possession". As you can see, I'm a fast writer, but that doesn't mean what I write is actually good. Reviews/Critiques would be great. See you soon!


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Resign

Edward slipped on his jacket, getting ready to leave the hospital. He hadn't fully recovered, now that he was up and about, he had forgotten about the wound on his side that the Slicer had inflicted on him. The Fifth Lab left him with lots of sores and bruises. He lifted up his tank top, observing the layers of gauze wrapped around his stomach. He caressed it with his flesh hand. He felt the rough texture; it made him want to scratch the skin under the bandages. He felt that the skin under there needed some relief from the bandages. He wanted to rip them off himself, but he couldn't risk opening his wounds with the force of taking them off. He grabbed his belt, sliding it through the loops in the pants. He tightened the belt, making sure his pants wouldn't fall down.

Edward slipped his hair over his right shoulder, making a loose braid. He ran his fingers through his bangs, loosening the knots in his hair. He smoothed back his hair, his ahoge bouncing back into place.

Ed had already informed Maria Ross and Denny Bloch that he would be leaving today; they were ready outside the door. He took his time putting on his platform boots, fastening the straps. He slid off the hospital bed, stretching. He had to stop when the pain from his wounds prevented him from continuing. He slipped his white gloves on, putting his hands in his pockets.

He felt something cold and smooth in the right pocket. He pulled his State Certified watch out of his pocket, reflecting on the years he had been a State Alchemist. Edward's grip tightened on the watch, he wanted to crush it into a million pieces. Look at all the trouble it's gotten him into. His throat tightened and his face started to burn. He shoved his emotions away along with the watch. He exited his room, looked at Lieutenant Ross on the left side of the door.

"Ed- Major Elric! I see you're ready to go, would you like us to escort you?" she said, saluting to the boy. She held a light smile, but her eyes looked distressed and tired.

Edward nodded, muttering something under his breath. Ross lost what little enthusiasm she had in her eyes and solemnly followed the state alchemist, her comrade following next to her. She recalled the scene she walked onto when arrived at the Fifth Lab.

* * *

 _Edward stood in the middle of the room, a blue light emitting from his body like a lantern. His body was twitching uncontrollably as he groaned in pain. Maria yelled for the boy, but he couldn't hear her. She struggled to get over to the boy as her comrade called for her to stop. Her right arm was raised in front of her face as she inched closer to the boy. She tried to look into his eyes as she stretched her arms open, only seeing nothing but agony. Ross pulled the boy into an embrace, nestling her chin over his shoulder. Edward's body transferred an electric shock through her, but she only tightened her hold on the boy. His body was freezing cold, but she needed to warm him up._

 _The glow from the boy's body dimmed as his body slumped towards the ground, trying to return the Lieutenant's hug, only for his arms to slide back down her back. She looked at his face, his eyes now closed. Dried tears left dark streaks that cut through the dust on his face. His tears mixed in with the blood that gushed from the gash on his forehead. Ross hadn't even realized that she had been crying too, she held the limp body to her, starting to feel his warmth return to his body._

* * *

 _Edward ran up to his mother, hugging her around her waist. He buried his face in his mother's stomach, his grip very tight._

" _Edward, what's wrong?"_

 _The young blond boy looked into his mother's emerald eyes, his eyes streaming with tears, his nose running as well._

" _Alphonse's run away, I can't find him anywhere!"_

 _Trisha stroked the boy's hair, surprising him. She had a soft face and her expression was very reassuring. She had pretty chestnut brown hair, tied into a very loose ponytail, that hung over her right shoulder. Her face was beaming, as she opened her mouth to talk._

" _You couldn't protect him."_

 _The little boy got worried. "Protect him…?" He blinked, and the once bright world around him darkened, and he was no longer hugging his mother. She wasn't in front of him anymore. He turned around, seeing three figures standing behind him. There was the body of his mother, with the face of the creature he created from the failed human transmutation. A young girl stood next to a big white dog, she was petting him, but their eyes were white and empty. Next to the girl, a young boy with short blond hair held a familiar helmet in his arms. It was Alphonse._

 _Edward wanted to reach out to his brother, but he couldn't move._

" _Brother, why couldn't you protect us? Why didn't you save us?"_

" _Alphonse… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm-"_

 _Edward woke up screaming, but cut off his screaming when he realized he was awake. He saw that he was holding up his left arm at the ceiling. Maria Ross burst into the room, holding up her gun. "Edward, what's wrong?!" Edward was covered in sweat, lying on the hospital bed. He stared into Ross' eyes; his eyes were filled with panic and horror. His eyes reverted back to normal, and closed his eyes. He rolled over onto his right shoulder, sighing. "I'm fine, Ross. You can go."_

* * *

Ross wanted to hug Edward again, to comfort him to get his mind off of all the horrible things he had to deal with. She observed the boy, though she couldn't get much from behind him. He was hunched over, his hands in his pockets. His pace was very slow, unlike his usual self.

Edward and his two escorts finally arrived at Central HQ, in front of Roy Mustang's office. Edward stood up straight, his hands at his sides. He stared down at the handles on the door, reluctant to open them.

"Major Elric, are you going to go in?" Sergeant Bloch piped up.

Edward took a deep breath, and exhaled, his shoulders slumping. He gripped the handles of the door, unlocked the door, and let himself into the room. He looked back at Ross, then back into the room, closing the door behind him.

"FullMetal? Good Afternoon." Roy looked up from his paperwork, trying to make eye contact with the boy.

"Hey." Ed groaned.

"I'm surprised you recovered so fast Edward, I thought you would still be in the hospital for at least a few more weeks."

"I'm not recovered."

The room grew awkwardly silent as Edward avoided Mustang's gaze. "Well is there something you're here for? It's unlike you to start up a friendly conversation with me."

Edward reached into his pocket, pulling out his watch. "Yeah, there is actually." He placed the watch on this desk, his hand slipping away from it. Mustang looked at the watch, and then looked up at the boy. His gaze was still at the ground. "What's this all about?"

Edward finally lined his eyes up with Mustang. Mustang's eyes were cold and stern; his expression showed that he wasn't amused by Edward's silence. Edward, on the other hand, his golden eyes were faded, around his eyes were dark and sagging. He looked exhausted; he tried to dodge sleep for a few days.

"You can officially say this is my resignation."

* * *

 **A/N:** And thus begins Edward's spiral into madness.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Departure

* * *

Roy looked at the watch placed in front of him, not convinced. "Is this a joke?" Edward glared at him. "What about this makes you think this is a joke? You at least should know what the hell has been going on. You know everything!"

"So you're going to give up restoring your body?" Edward sighed and looked down at his boots. "Yeah, I guess I am. I can't do this without Al."

"You're fine with your automail? What do you think Alphonse would say about this, about you giving up?"

Hearing Al's name from that bastard's mouth made him snap. He smashed his automail hand onto the table, leaving a crater in the wood. The crash caught both Hawkeye and Mustang off guard, Mustang leaning back in his seat a little, Hawkeye looking over at the boy in confusion. Mustang's paperwork flew off the desk in various directions, slowly floating to the ground.

"You don't know a damn thing…you wouldn't know what the hell Al would say about this. YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING!" Ed looked around at the mess he made with angry, tired eyes, then back at Mustang. He wasn't intimidated in the least, just a little surprised. He clapped his hands, placing them on the table, as the desk seemed to repair itself. He picked up the papers and stacked them back on Mustang's desk. Edward retrieved the watch and put it back in front of Mustang. "That's yours to keep," Edward stomped out of the room, slamming the doors behind him.

He stormed past Ross and Bloch, heading back to his dorm. Lieutenant Ross got startled as the boy sped past her. She reached to grab his shoulder, missing, and pulling out his braid. Edward turned around grabbing his hair from Ross's grasp. "Damn it Ross! What the hell do you want?" he snarled, shooting a cold look at her. "I – I was just wondering where you were going. You were in a rush, so - "

"It's none of your business. And you can go, I'm not part of the military anymore."

The boy stormed off again, his heart jumping with regret, but he continued. _Damn Ross, those two should've never stuck around._

* * *

Ross watched the former state alchemist storm away, leaving her feeling very guilty. Sighing, she turned around, walk opposite of the young boy. Her comrade reached out to her as she walked by him, but she stopped him. Ross rubbed under her nose, but didn't stop walking. "I'm fine, Bloch. I'm fine." She sounded like she wanted to cry; she felt so hurt. What had she done wrong?

* * *

Edward arrived at his dorm room, slamming the door shut and locking it. He slid to the floor, his back against the wooden surface. He stared up at the ceiling, relieved to be alone. But he'd be alone for a long time. He started to cry. The young boy put his hands up to his face and sobbed into his gloves.

* * *

Roy watched the boy leave the room in a blind fury, Hawkeye observing as well. They both listened to Edward yelling at Lieutenant Ross, making them both sigh with disappointment. Roy slid the watch closer to him, and picked it off the desk.

"Colonel, do you think he meant what he said?"

Mustang shrugged and placed the watch down again. "I don't doubt him, though, I do wonder what he'll do now. Knowing him, he wouldn't go straight back to Risembool, it's unlike him."

Edward's gloves were now damp from his tears. He still sat in the same spot, in front of the door, his legs curled up to his face, his arms wrapped around them, his right hand clinging onto his left wrist. His eyes and head hurt a lot, he didn't want to get up. He looked around for his suitcase, his vision very blurry. He spotted the brown box leaning against the wall.

Ed made his way over to the suitcase, scooting on his butt. He set the box on his lap, his legs now crossed. He opened it, observing the contents inside. _Some clothes, one being his famous red coat, some clothes, oil for Alphonse… Nothing interesting._ He skimmed over the oil like it was nothing at all. Edward closed the suitcase and stood up, his legs shaking a little. He went over to the couch placed in the middle of the room, sliding past the coffee table then flopping onto the cushions. He didn't bother taking off his boots. Too tired… Need rest…

* * *

Edward officially woke up in the middle of the next day, waking up from nightmares 3 times prior, only to fall asleep again. He found himself hanging off of the couch, his hand under his tank top. Ed sat up, stretching, until the pain wouldn't let him. He was already dress, so there was no need for preparation. Ed snatched his suitcase off of the floor and went over to the door. He unlocked it and exited, slowly closing it behind him.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Kinda short.

* * *

Chapter 5: Revenge

It was getting late. Exploring Central all day isn't a very fun experience alone. Edward's left hand was in his pocket, while his right hand held his suitcase. Ed stopped in his tracks, looking up at the sky. It wasn't very cloudy; the moon could still be seen illuminating the streets.

Ed remembered how he and Al used to sit out in front of their house, and counting the stars until their mother called them inside for the night. Edward smiled, thinking about his lost family. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head. The blond boy looked around, trying to spot an alley. He leaned closer to the street, trying to get a wider view of the sidewalk. He spotted an alley a little farther up the street he was on and jogged over to it. He looked at the side of the opening, seeing a pole crawling up the brick wall. He grinned, grabbing the pole with his left hand, pausing.

"How am I supposed to climb up this with damn suitcase?" His idea of stargazing over the city was starting to feel like a lost cause.

"It seems that the Great God Ishbala has put you in my path again, FullMetal Alchemist," an ominous voice rang out from the depths of the alley, making Edward jump.

The young teen's heart started to race; he recognized that voice. He watched a familiar grey haired Ishbalan emerge from the darkness; he looked a little wobbly himself. Ed could feel Scar's red eyes piercing through his dark glasses. "I'm glad we finally met again, I can send you to your maker, just like how your brother met his."

Edward was frozen. Frozen by his fear and anger, by his rage.

"You were watching. You watched as those damn homunculi killed my brother, the only family I had left!" His voice rose at the end of his sentence. Ed clapped his hands and slid his hand across the plating of the automail, transforming it into a blade, his glove ripping off. Edward charged blindly at the scared Ishbalan, swinging for his stomach. Dodging, Scar found this to be an opportunity to snatch up Edward's automail, lifting him off the ground. The boy flailed, trying to get out of Scar's hold. "LET GO OF ME!"

"It was foolish of you to charge me like that. I'll have to destroy this right arm of yours again."

"SHUT UP!" Edward raised his leg up, driving his foot into Scar's stomach, managing to get out of his grip and launch off of him. Ed landed on his left shoulder, his wound sending a sharp pain through him, causing him to yelp. Ed struggled to get back up. He held his should while hissing in pain. He felt his wound reopen, he watched the dark pool of red expand on his clothes. "You can break my automail all you like, but I have the best mechanic in the world. She can always rebuild it for me!" Before he knew it, he felt himself being lifting off the ground again, this time by his hair.

Ed groaned, his hair couldn't support his body weight; he could feel some strands of hair ripping out of his scalp.

"I will give you a moment to pray to God."

"Again, there's no god I'll ever want to pray to." Edward scoffed, flashing a devilish smirk at the man. The boy's golden eyes that were once filled with determination were now filled with bloodlust; his only intent was to kill. Scar looked at the boy with scorn, he was truly disgusted at the sight. Ed watched Scar raise his right arm, almost in slow motion.

This wasn't when he was going to die. He was only going to die on his own terms. He'll die when he wanted to.

He felt his right arm raise and shoot towards the brown hand that got closer to his face. He hadn't realized that the blade had impaled Scar's hand, forcing its way past the bone and muscle. Ed didn't even realized what he had done until he felt his back make contact with the ground again, Scar's screams ringing in his ears. Scar held his wrist, the crimson blood flowing down from the wound. Edward got back up to his feet, ready to finish Scar. His lips spread a smile; he looked like his was possessed by a demon. The man looked at the child and ducked, placing his bloody hand on the ground, causing it to spark red, making the ground cave in underneath him. Ed jumped back, trying to dodge the flying the flying debris. He felt one slide against his cheek. He felt blood run down his face as another piece of debris smacked him in the left shoulder.

The force blew him backwards, making him cry out in agony. When the debris stopped flying, the last thing he heard from Scar was, "You are leading a dangerous path, Edward Elric. I have given you my warning."

Ed got back onto his feet, peering over the hole that led into the sewers. "Tch, what the hell do you know, Scar…" He leaned into the hole, holding onto the raised ground for support. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!" he screamed, hearing his voice echo below him. Ed stepped out of the alleyway, the wind sweeping on his face and clothes. The breezed made his blood congeal, making the blood stop flowing. The blood on his blade hardened as well. He picked up his suitcase and started back down the street.

"My damn hair… It almost got me killed…" He put down his suitcase, and scooped up all of his long, golden hair over his left shoulder. He put the blade up to the length he wanted it shortened. He forced the blade to cut through the hair, pulling the hair against the sharp surface as well. Ed held the chunk of hair in his left hand, observing the light of the moon reflecting off of it beautifully. Ed sighed and dumped the hair in the nearest trashcan.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yay, chapter 5 is done. Hmmmmm, chapter 6 is gonna be kinda long. (I've been writing it for the past two weeks! :0) There will be Parental!Roy x Ed as well :v


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This chapter is longer than usual. Some curses. An actual normal day.

* * *

"There have been four eye witness reports of someone fitting the description of Edward Elric leaving the area of the incident," Lieutenant Hawkeye read aloud to Mustang. "There is also evidence of struggle at the scene."

The older man put his forehead in his hands and sighed. "The day after we let him go, he's already causing mayhem." His hands slid back down to his desk; he looked into Hawkeye's orange-brown eyes, his own filled with annoyance. "Hawkeye, we're going to find him."

The woman nodded in agreement.

Edward sat in an alley, biting his nails down to the skin, spitting the torn cells off of his tongue to disappear into the darkness of the alley. He flashed a menacing glare to anyone passing who dare make eye contact with him. Some people scowled at him return; others hastened their pace and broke eye contact with him. No one dare tried to help or talk to him. He wasn't necessarily a sight to behold either. He was matted with dust and debris, his eyes sagging and exhausted. His hair now cut short, the edges of his hair covered in dried blood. There was some of Scar's blood splashed onto his tank top and boots.

The young boy slid his suitcase onto the other side of him, away from the opening of the alley. He tightened his grip on the handle, extra precaution that no one would steal it from him. Ed thought about how it felt to see Scar in so much pain. He'd never purposely hurt someone, but now that he had, he'd never realized how much he enjoyed it. It gave him a rush, hearing Scar's howls of agony ringing in his ears. A vicious smirk spread from Edward's lips as he began to chuckle under his breath, nodding off into sleep.

Roy Mustang held up a sketch of Edward Elric to a passing woman. "Ma'am, have you seen this boy at all?" The woman looked at the drawing, then back at the Colonel. She nodded slowly.

"Yes I have seen him,"

The colonel and lieutenant's eyes widened, surprised to finally get a lead. "The poor boy, he looked pretty roughed up. I wonder where his parents are." Roy lowered the picture and leaned over to the woman, his eyes rattled with concern. "Where have you last seen him?"

The woman turned around and pointed down the street, the location she was aiming was not specific. "I saw him about 6 blocks down, he was sitting in an alley and-"

"Thank you ma'am." Roy cut her off and rushed past the woman in the direction she pointed for them, waving for his subordinate to follow.

Edward's subconscious was darkened with black as he floated around in his own mind, trapped by the sleep he was in. His mind couldn't form any dreams or nightmares, much to the boy's relief. He felt a tingle in his body, his heart jumping. His eyes flashed open, pulling him out of his rest.

 _Someone's coming._

He scrambled to his feet, getting into a fighting stance, ready to attack the presence he felt. He recoiled when he saw Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye round the entrance of the alley. Mustang sighed in relief at the sight of finally finding the boy.

"Colonel? What do you want?" Edward snapped at Roy, observing him up and down. He looked tired; sweat ran down his forehead.

Mustang cleared his throat and his face reverted back into its normal serious expression. He placed his left hand on his hip, saying, "Well, FullMetal, it seems-"

"Don't call me that."

Roy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, Edward, it seems that you've been getting yourself into trouble already."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Edward scoffed. "What I do is none of your fucking business, I'm not a dog of the military anymore."

The two adults were taken aback by the boy's foul language, but Roy continued. "I have taken the responsibility of watching over you and your brother," Edward snarled at Roy for bringing up Al, but said nothing in return. "And I still have that responsibility. Now, tell me what the hell happened last night." Edward hissed his teeth. _There's no point in hiding it from him, he'd keep pestering me 'til I coughed up the truth._

"I got into a conflict with Scar, that's all." Edward turned his head away, avoiding their gazes.

Roy's attention shifted to the boy's lack of hair. He walked up to Edward, who looked up at him. The man grabbed his cheeks and turned his head to get a better look at his hair. "You cut your hair. Why is it covered in blood?"

"LET GO!" Edward grabbed the Colonel's arm, tearing his grip away from his face, accidentally flashing some red from under his sleeve. Edward drew away from the man, glaring at him, but Roy's gaze was on Ed's right arm. "Your automail. Let me see it."

The boy inhaled a sharp gasp, only strengthening his suspicions. He pulled his sleeve farther down his arm, making it seem more obvious that something was wrong. Roy held his hand out to the boy. "Show me." Edward held his ground, still covering his automail. He grabbed Edward's right arm, sliding the sleeve down, revealing the large amount of blood that congealed on Edward's plating. Roy's face tightened in discomfort at seeing the large amount of blood. "Is this Scar's blood?" Roy pressed, trying to maintain his composure.

Edward snickered, "Why yes it is his blood." The colonel's face only twisted in confusion even more. Why did he sound so proud? "What the hell did you do?!"

"Self defense. He was about to kill me, what else was I suppose to do."

Roy let go of the boy's arm and walked back to the lieutenant, who was watching silently. "Come with me, Edward." He said, not turning around.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll find out when we're there."

 _They better not be taking me back to HQ…_ Edward reluctantly followed the dark haired man down the streets of Central, Lieutenant Hawkeye trailing behind him. The blonde boy looked around, trying to think of a way to escape.

"Don't even try it Edward." Hawkeye said, almost like she read his mind. Ed let out a quick huff and continued following the Colonel.

Roy could feel the boy's eyes burning into the back of his neck, but he refused to give him the attention he wanted.

* * *

After at least half an hour of walking, the three arrived at a common house.

"What is this?" Edward asked, putting his suitcase down next to him.

"This is my house." Mustang responded.

"Why the hell would you bring me here?"

"For now, you're going to be living with me."

 _WHAT!_ It felt like a bomb just went off in Edward's head. He felt like running. There is no way in hell that he was going to live with ROY MUSTANG. He dashed past Lieutenant Hawkeye, but Mustang grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him back over to him. He wrapped his arm around Edward's stomach before he ran again and scooped him up under his arm. Roy had a decent amount of strength, picking up Edward was no problem, and no matter how much flailing he was doing.

"Lieutenant, can you bring in Edward's suitcase?"

"Yes, sir."

Roy made his way up the little flight of stairs of his home, searching for his keys in his pockets. By then, Edward gave up resisting; he lay limp in Roy's grip, adding extra weight to himself. Mustang unlocked the door, letting him in. He left Edward on the floor behind his couch.

"Don't touch anything until you're clean, FullMetal."

"Don't call me-

"You know what I mean." Roy snapped back. Riza closed the door behind her, setting Edward's luggage down by the door.

"Colonel, why are you still bothering to put up with me?" He asked, lying on his back.

"Because if I don't, you're probably going to get yourself killed, just like how you almost were last night."

"Why don't you just mind your own damn business?"

Roy took in a deep breath and sighed. "It's because you _are_ my business, okay?"

Roy's answer surprised Edward; he sounded so… sincere. Not being able to come up with a smart remark, the boy stayed silent.

"Go take a shower."

Edward looked up at Mustang, who was towering in front of him. "What?"

"Like I said, go take a shower. You're filthy, you're going to ruing my house." Roy's tone changed back into his normal serious one, the sentiment in his voice faded. Roy helped him onto his feet and directed him to the bathroom. It was down the hall, near the stairwell. "Leave your clothes outside the door. I'll wash them."

Edward slammed the door behind him. He his flesh hand onto his cheek, sliding it up to his forehead, then let out a loud groan.

"What's wrong?" said Roy's muffled voice from behind the door.

"GAAAAH!" Ed shrieked. "What the hell are you doing out there!"

"Waiting for your clothes."

"Oh, right."

Ed quickly slipped out of his clothes and boots and boots and tossed them out the door for Mustang to collect. He hid behind the door, trying to protect as much of his naked body from Mustang as possible. The only thing he saw was a flash of his arm,

Ed rubbed his temples, trying to process what the hell is going on. He's naked in Colonel Mustang's house. How did this even happen?

The boy sighed and went over to the shower sliding open the glass door. He stepped inside, sliding it closed again. He turned the dials to set the water, nearly losing his balance when the cold water sprayed out of the pipe, catching him by surprise. He stood shivering in the shower until the cold water faded into warm water. He turned around, letting the blood that stained his hair drain out before turning back around again to wash out his automail. The tiled floor turned red, then got lighter as the blood drained away.

The water made him feel very relaxed, very tired… He nearly jumped when he heard the sink turn on behind him. He tried to not shriek when he turned around and saw Mustang filling a bent up iron basin with water.

"Mustang! What the hell are you doing in here?"

"Getting water. To wash your clothes."

"W-well hurry up!" Ed said, frantically covering himself.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking." Mustang chuckled, angling himself away from Ed. He turned off the faucet, cutting off the flow of water abruptly. He left the room, being careful not to spill the water.

He came back in shortly after, throwing in two towels, still managing to scare Ed. His face felt hotter than the water itself. He was getting more and more uncomfortable the longer he stayed there. It'd be best if he hurried up with his shower, so he could at least be a little more comfortable with clothes on. But he needed a few more minutes.

* * *

"Edward, get out of there, you're going to kill my water bill."

"No, Colonel, I need some more time."

"You've been in there for nearly an hour. Get out."

 _An hour?!_ Time really does fly… Ed quickly turned off the shower and retrieved the towels Mustang tossed in for him. He quickly dried his hair as much as he could, and then wrapped the other towel around his waist. Peeking out of the door, he saw Roy and Riza talking to each other on the couch.

"Hey Mustang, can you bring me my suitcase?" he said, cutting off their conversation. Roy sighed and brought over his suitcase, not exchanging any words with the short child. Edward watched Roy go back to the couch; Riza looked at Roy, giving off a soft smile. Ed rolled his eyes and slipped back into the bathroom.

* * *

Roy sat back down next to the woman, his face resting in his hands, and his elbows on his knees. He let out a big sigh, dragging out a groan. "That boy… He's starting to worry me."

"How come?"

"The blood on his automail, he had no objection saying that it was Scar's. He said it was self-defense, but he sounded so proud knowing that he finally landed a hit on Scar. It's unlike him, he's not one for senseless violence."

Hawkeye looked at Mustang, observing him carefully. He looked very distressed; Edward was really starting to get to him.

He leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "His brother is gone, that's a hard burden to carry. But I can't lose him; I don't think I could carry the loss of both of them on my back. Knowing that I couldn't protect them as their superior officer."

Edward stayed quiet, trying to hear what Mustang was saying. Did he really mean that?

Roy sat back up and laughed, running his fingers through his midnight black hair. "I've gotten very sentimental now, haven't I? I'd never think that I'd get so attached to these boys. A soldier and his younger brother…"

"Not at all, sir. I feel the same way about them."

Ed felt flattered, he always thought that Mustang was a smug asshole; he didn't know he cared so much for him and his brother. He pulled out some clothes and shuffled trying to pull them on. He threw a towel over his shoulders, letting the water drip off of the ends of his hair.

He left the bathroom, walking over to the couch, his automail foot clinking when it made contact with the wooden floor.

"Ah, Edward, you're finally out."

"Yeah."

"Do you want anything to eat?"

Edward forgot he hadn't even eaten anything in two days. He'd forgotten to eat since the day he resigned; he was so relieved to finally get some sleep. His stomach felt like it was being compressed once he noticed how hungry he was.

"Yeah, sure. What do you have?"

"I don't have any leftovers or anything prepared, but I have cereal."

Edward gagged; he wasn't going to eat cereal! Not when it has… Milk in it…

"Bleh, no thanks."

"Right, I forgot milk isn't one of your favorites.

"I can cook something if you want. I'm not that bad, y'know! Hawkeye can back me up on that!"

The woman sitting next to Roy giggles, covering her mouth a little.

"I can't deny him, he can cook anything."

"Haha, see?

"So what do you want?" Roy said, between laughs.

Edward hummed, thinking about what he really wanted. "I'd really like some vegetable stew… I haven't had that in such a long time."

Yeah, it's been a while…

* * *

 **A/N:** This was going to be so much longer, but I just couldn't focus on it enough to make it longer. So happiness with Roy, Ed and Riza. What could go wrong? Oh wait.

Please tell me if I made anyone out of character. It seems like this is more Brotherhood Roy than FMA03 Roy? Please help me keep him in character.

Anyway, I'm literally about to start writing two new fics, so I'll at least finish up Possession...


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